Open plate floor



Sept. 21, 1954 E. M. WICHERT OPEN PLATE FLOOR 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 l Pf [MENTOR Ernest M ert 0 MM 2;? 97% 84: afimw w mwh w Filed Feb. 23, 1951 Sept. 21, 1954 E. M. WICHERT OPEN PLATE FLOOR 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 23, 1951 [HYEnToR Sept. 21, 1954 E. M. WICHERT OPEN PLATE FLOOR 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 23, 1951 V AM\ Aye Av Av/al Z31; iii iuii 2 3311? AV 1] :33; @iii I/IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Ernest MH/mbert M Jory 2 Sept. 21, 1954 E. M. WICHERT OPEN PLATE FLOOR 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Feb. 23, 1951 [HI ENTOR Ernest M H/fcb rt 7 mm 6% m 114;: Nov-M7 Patented Sept. 21, 1954 OPEN PLATE FLOOR Ernest M. Wichert, Mount Lebanon Township, Allegheny County, Pa.

Application February 23, 1951, Serial No. 212,331

Claims. 1

This invention relates to heavy duty light weight metal floors and particularly to floors of a sort suitable for incorporation in bridges.

More particularly referring to the heavy duty light weight floor of my invention these floors belong to a type known as open floors in contradistinction particularly to floors comprising a metal framework, lattice or cellular metal structure covered or filled with concrete or other roadway material, which latter type are to be considered as solid floors.

Heavy duty open floors for use in bridges and like construction possess many physical advantages over the more conventional heavy duty solid floors. They present properties of increased endurance as compared to solid floors in which the filling material tends to relatively rapid deterioration by weathering and abrasion. Also open heavy duty floors provide better traction surfaces than solid floors and have the very important advantage of economy in the time and cost involved in the construction of the floor. Conventional open heavy duty floors have, however, presented the disadvantage that they are not economical.

A primary object of this invention is to provide a light weight heavy duty floor which can be produced more economically in the weight and/ or quality of steel used per unit of surface area than is possible with open heavy duty floors of the sorts previously made.

Another object of my invention is to provide an open heavy duty fioor capable of such integration in a composite structure with the supporting members of a bridge or the like that saving in the weight of those supporting members is eifected.

Another object of my invention is to provide a flooring panel including my flooring plate which allows great savings in fabrication, transportation and installation; as for example by including flooring beams which are standard rolled beams requiring no fabricating whatever so that they can be delivered in their final form from the rolling mill nearest the site of their installation and can be erected and integrated in the flooring structure in the form in which they arrive at that site.

I attain the above noted and other advantages in a heavy duty open metal floor by taking full advantage of physical principles; viz. that instantaneously applied loads produce dynamic stresses which are measured by the laws governing the energy of bodies in motion and that the effect oi these dynamic stresses vary greatly depending 2 fore, Iso design my floor structure that it effectively and. reliably counteracts applied loads by composite and continuous action in all directions within an entire bridge panel.

This is in contradistinction to conventional light weight open floors in which only comparatively small and light sections of the flooring can be relied upon to counteract a concentrated application of forces. By effectively and reliably integrating the flooring proper with the floor supportin system I succeed in greatly reducing deflections of the various members of the entire bridge supporting structure, thereby greatly increasing the rigidity and strength of that structure. This result has been proven by various tests made on a full size model bridge designed in accordance with standard A. A. S. H. O. specifications. As shown in the accompanying drawings, my monogenetic trussed open plate floor consists primarily of a plurality of plates with transverse trusses, said trusses being part of the original steel plate and having portions spaced in approximate parallelism with each other in the floor structure and extended-downwardly substantially at a right angle to the road surface. Desirably such trussed construction is provided by punching, cutting and bending downwardly bent portions of the trusses conforming generally to a spaced irregular pattern of the open flooring surface.

In the accompanying drawings, exemplary of the embodiment of my invention:

Fig. I is a broken plan view of my monogenetic flooring plate showing the plate integrated with flooring beams and stress-distributing bars in an open flooring panel.

Fig. II is a vertical sectional view taken in the plane of the section line II-II of Fig. I, showing a downwardly-extended. truss portion and illustrating in broken lines the mounting of the flooring beams of a panel on underlying supporting beams.

Fig. III is a vertical sectional view taken in the plane of the section line III-III of Fig. I, showing one of the stress-distributing bars with which the monogenetic trussed plate of Fig. I is equipped.

Fig. IV is a vertical sectional view taken in the plane of the section line 1VIV of Fig. I, showing several of the trussed components of my monogenetic floor with stress-distributing bars integrated therewith.

Fig. V is a vertical sectional view taken in th plane of the section line VV of Fig. I, showing the same components as shown in Fig. IV but in the form and arrangement determined by the different plane in which the view is taken.

Fig. VI is a view in vertical section and on an enlarged scale illustrating the welding of a vertical stress-distributing bar to horizontal components of the trussed flooring plate.

Fig. VII is a detail view in vertical section and an enlargedscale illustrating the welding of the fiooringplate to one of the flooring beams.

Fig. VIII is a horizontal sectional view taken in the plane of the section line VIIIVIII of Fig. II, illustrating the welding of the flooring beams of the floor assembly to underlying supporting beams.

Fig. IX is a broken plan view of one side f --a roadway composed of open flooring panels in accordance with the preceding figu-res of-thedrawmgs.

Fig. X is a broken plan view of my monogenetic flooring plate, showing the plate without stressdistributing bars but provided with a .battledeck covering,

Fig'XI is a broken plan view of one of my flooring plates, illustrating steps in apreferred method of manufacture.

The fiooringplate ofmy invention as produced and from its inception is a one-piece structure and as such is aptly descrihedby the t.erm".monogenetic. The flooring plateis open in thatit is provide d with a plurality of holes or open spaces which are not intended 'in the assembly of the plate tobe filled with concrete or other filling .ma terial. Also the flooring plate has regions eX- tended-downwardly to .form an efiective truss. Such truss reaches the approximate distance b e tween'two opposed margins of the plat,e, so that in its simple'formtheplate is composed of .horizontal traffic-contacting components and downwardly-extended components. Sincethe plate is of one piece throughout its extent, itis thus .a trussed plate and this trussed construction serves greatly to increase the various sections moduli of the plate and the moments of inertia about the composite neutralaxes when the .flooring plate is integrated in a flooring panel. It is preferable so to construct the flooring plate that it comprises a relatively great number .of the trusses each consisting of aplurality off horizontal components and a downwardly-extended component.

I use the terms ,horizontal and downwardlyextended and similar terms as terms of broad definition and not as terms of limitation. They comprehend the direction or .general plane .of the flooringplate components, .even though .the .ilooring or a portion thereof may be somewhatinclined to the precise horizontal. ATbr-idge floorima y-be somewhat inclinedbecause it is on a. grade .or banked or on a vertical curve etc. Also the bridge may becrowned, in which case ,a line extending across the flooringmay be ,preciselyhorizontal at the crown but inclined at the approches of the bridge.

Referringto the drawings and initially to Figs. I to Vinclusive of the drawings more particularly, thernonogenetic flooring Plate ,is shown .as a continuous structure having a trafiic-contacting surface provided by a pluralityof horizontal traffic-contacting components l, laand'Z .and aplurality of .clownwardly-extended components 3, to give the trussed construction reference to which has been made. The traffic-contacting-components are of angular .or irregular contour and thus conform to good practice, in giving go d tram tion and skid-resistance to the tires of vehicles passing over an open flooring comprising the flooring plates. Assuming the preferred method of manufacturing my flooring plate which will be described, the horizontal trafiic-contacting components of the flooring plate conform in contour and area to major openings in the general horizontal surface of the plate and in its downwardly- =extended components. Illuus theresis-arcontinuous opening ll which-extends approximately the distance between opposed margins 5 of the plate and which is identical in outline with a downwardlyextended component 3. This extended opening 4 also defines the contour of horizontal components -I :and la, The horizontal components 2 conform in contour to holes 5 in the downwardlyextended components 3 of the trussed structure.

Inaddition to openings 4 in the included horizontal:area of the plate, the weight of the structure as a whole is reduced and the skid-retardant ,property ..of its traffic-contacting surface .is improved by variantly arrangedholes l and .8 inherizontal components la and .l. Smaller holes-9 .in the marginalregions .15 of the plate provide .-f0r integration of the plate in a flooring-panel .and there areotherrelatively smallholes .I 0 adjacent the junction .ofthe horizontally and downwardly- .extended components of the plate structure.

These latter holes shown in the drawings provide relief for a deflectingfiowbfmetal duringmanufacture of the flooring plate when the flooring plate is made in accordance with preierredmethods. Whereas themeta'l of openings 4 and .6 is retained in the trussed construction of the plate, the metal ofholes "l, .3, .91, .liiis deleted fromthe structure of the plate.

Considering now specifically the term .and .ar- ,rangement of the downwardly-.extende.d components'.3 of the trussed plate, those components extend in an approximately rightangularrelation to the horizontal .traflic-contacting surface of the plate. ,Asshown particularly in Fig. H .of the drawings, these components reach through the approximate distance between .two opposed margins of the plate with which margins .theylhave a generally rightangularrelation. Each .downwardly-extended component is a .unitary ibody which is continuous throughout its length. The holes 6 in the body of each of the downwardlyextended components 3. are shown as of the .iorm of the horizontal trafiic-contacting components .2 and between and laterally beyond these holes that body has itsmonogenetic continuity with the horizontal structure of the plate.

It has been noted .above that a primary object of the ,inventionis to provide a flooring plate, .as such and when integrated in a flooring ,panel, which presents ,at .all points adequate .reactance to applied loads. Assumingthat the plate .is, as .shown,.a multi-truss .flooring plate in whichthe downwardly-extended components represent an .area of. metal subtracted from the horizontal traffie-contacting structure of the flooring plate, itis desirable that the plate be provided with added means which supplement .thestress-distributing function of .the trusses. In Figs..I, III, IV, V .and IX of the drawings such means are shown .as stress-distributing bars 1! integrated with the horizontal components .of the flooring .plate.

.In the drawings stress-distributing .bars .Ll .are shown as of the .same gauge as the metal .of which the monogenetic flooring plate itself composed and the barsare of adepthappropriate to the maxi-mum loading the plate is-purposed to sustain. -Stressadistributing =bars II extend between and past horizontal traillc-contacting components I and 2 to which they are welded and extended beneath the furthest separated trafliccontacting components la to which also the bars are welded. The welding to the horizontal com- .ponents la is shown in Fig. I as a fillet weld l2 and welding to the horizontal components I and 2 is indicated also by reference numeral I3 in that figure of the drawings. This latter welding is shown more clearly in Figs. IV and V and on an enlarged scale in Fig. VI which shows a region defined by the broken-line boxing A of Fig. V. As shown, the terminals of staggered Shorizontal components I and 2 are downturned at I b and 2b respectively and a stress-distributing bar extends between them with the upper edges of downturned terminals lb and 2b in con tact with the opposite surfaces of the bar. The triangular spaces thus formed are filled with welding metal at l3 to give a secure integration of each bar with the horizontal structure of the flooring plate. Desirably the upper edges [4 of 'the stress-distributing bars are serrated, contributing to the skid-resistant property of the flooring plate.

a valuable secondary function by interrupting the continuous extent of the openings.

Attention being directed particularly to Figs. IV and V of the drawings which show the arrangement of trusses and stress-distributing bars in vertical section, it will be seen wherein the flooring plate of my invention is capable of distributing and sustaining applied loads of given value with a minimum weight of the flooring plate and its immediately associated elements and with minimized cost of the steel of which the flooring plate and its associated elements are made. This being more strikingly apparent when the flooring plate and its integrated stress-distributing bars are in turn integrated with immediate supporting structure in a flooring panel, the

integration of the plate with the flooring beams will be considered. These flooring beams I5 have one flange of each underlying a marginal region 5 of the flooring plate. Integration between the flooring plate and flooring beams is effected by plug welding through holes 9 adjacent the margins of the plate. Two of the plug welds iii are shown in Fig. I and in detail in Fig. VH of the drawings and one of the holes 9 for welding to the flange of a flooring beam is provided for each truss of the multi-truss plate. Fig. VII includes the region defined by the broken-line boxing B of Fig. II. It will be noted, however, that the section line II-II- of Fig. I on which Fig. II is taken is not in the plane of a weld. The plug weld l6 of Fig. VII thus corresponds to a weld fitting one of the holes 9 elsewhere in the showing of Fig. I. Fig. VII also indicates in broken-lines the position of a marginal region of a next adjacent flooring plate on a flange of the same flooring beam.

As an incident of the assembly of the flooring plate and its integrated stress-distributing bars with the flooring beams, the lateral edges of the downwardly-extended components are downwardly chamfered at H. The flooring plates and flooring beams are thus readily assembled with as close a tolerance between the edgesof the downwardly-extended components and the edges of the flanges of the flooring beams as is possible while making accommodation to possible manufacturing'variation in the flange dimensions of the flooring beams.

The flooring panel so integrated may be considered complete as a heavy-duty flooring panel for incorporation in a bridge or analogous structure. Such incorporation with underlying stringers I8 is shown in Fig. II and in detail in Fig. VIII of the drawings. As shown, the flooring beams l5 of the flooring panel are integrated with underlying stringers by welding, fillet welds [9 being shown.

If for any reason it is desired to have: a closed roadway surface, a suitable continuous plate covering may be superimposed on the open monogenetic flooring plates. Fig. X of the drawings shows a battledeck plate flooring 20 in welded integration with the open plates. As shown, the battledeck flooring 20 is integrated with the underlying open monogenetic flooring plates by a plurality of plug welds 2| made against the horizontal components 2 of the open flooring plates. It should be noted that when a battledeck flooring is added to the primary structure of the monogenetic flooring plate, stressdistributing bars are not required.

Fig. X of the drawings illustrates the fact that the monogenetic trussed flooring plate of my invention is of itself a structural entity, which may be reinforced by the stress-distributing bars, may be covered and reinforced if desired by any suitable covering or may be used without either re inforcement or covering when the dimensions oi the plate and the conditions of service render such use practical. Also it is to be understood that the flooring plate in any length in which it i produced from that of a single truss up to a great number of trusses included in the monogenetic plate may be used as an element in a great variety of structures and integrated in them in any manner appropriate to the association in which the flooring plate is used. The primary utility of the flooring plate is in the floor, or deck, of a bridge when integrated with flooring beams into a flooring panel, because such use gives full scope to the advantages of the flooring plate as the primary element of a light weight heavy duty floor suitable for vehicular and other traflic and takes full advantage of the properties of the plate and its associated flooring beams for ease in transportation and installation.

Fig. IX of the drawings shows a plurality oi my flooring panels includin the monogenetic open floorin plates set to form a roadway, such as the deck of a bridge. As shown in this figure of the drawings, the floorin panels are set with the flooring beams l5 across the direction of trafiic and with the downwardly-extended truss components 3 and stress-distributing bars ll parallel to the direction of traific. This is a preferred but not a requisite positioning of the flooring panels. As shown, the flooring panels are extended beneath a curbing and/or sidewalk 22 and the flooring plates are so arranged as to stagger the position of the downwardly-extended truss components and the stress-distributing bars in adjacent flooring plates. Such arrangement avoids any possibility of incurring directive travel culi'ar to its own structure. comprising the open flooring plate of my invention has the self-cleaning properties of open flexibility in manufacture.

eandiis-zardesirablethoughnot requisite mounting nffthe flooring panels. a

Azpreferred methodof manufacturing the floor- "ing .plate is .indicated schematicallyin .XI of "the drawings.

As illustrated, the formation of the 'flooringplate is from a rolled steel sheet :.and as currently practiced is a'two-step operadownwardly-extended truss components into their position :of angularity with respect to the traffic-contacting surface of the plate in a single :step with cutting alon the broken-lines 23 shown in this figure of the drawings. Lines 23 .:indicate how the contour of holes 4 determines the contour :of downwardly-extended components and how the contour of holes t in the downwardly-extended components 3 isdetermined by the contour 'of "horizontal traffic-contacting comengineeringprinciples "and that in my invention -*tho'se-principles are adapted to practical requirements-of manufacture, transportation and structural assembly and erection. Thus, full advantageis taken of the monogenetic nature of the open flooring plate and its adaptability for integration ina composite flooring panel and bridge super structure. Also the general adaptability of the flooring plate-and its inherent ability for Stress-distribution has been described and explained. It will be understood that my flooring -plate combines the advantages of open metal floors generally considered with advantages pe- For example, a floor floors in general. My floors can advantageously be made of low alloy, high physical, rust-resisting steels. It should be noted further that the 'floor combines the advantages in transportation and assembly which have been noted above with That is, the plates can, within reason, be made initially in any predetermined length or variety of lengths which adapts them to installation in particular localities or positions or to particular .conditions of use.

'Variousmodification in and to the specific em- "bodiment of my invention as herein illustrated or'describedmay be made Without departing from the essence of the invention in which they are implicit and the scope of'my invention is therefore to be limited onlybythe statementof the claims appended hereto.

I claim as myinvention:

1. Anopen one-piece rolled metal, heavy-duty, perforated flooring plate having trusses 'anda horizontal 'traffic-contacting surface, and-having opposed longitudinal margins, spaced transverse openings each of which terminates inwardly *ad- .jacent the longitudinal margins :of the 'plate, -a

continuous downwardly extending substantially straight flange bent'from the plane ofitheitrafliccontacting surface .along a'ea'ch :opening forming spaced trusses on the underside rof saidplateiand transverse'openingsin saiditrezflic-contacting surface, said horizontal surface having :spacediportions extending into :said openings in the plane of'said-trafiic contactmg surface.

2. A flooring unit comprising the fiooringtplat set forth in claim :1 :and stress distributing "bars; said stress bars extending rbetween said '=downwardly extending flanges f'orming saidtrusseszand being substantially parallel-thereto and being secured to 'said spaced portions of said horizontal structure of the plate.

.A flooring unit'comprising :the ilooringrplate set forth in claim 1 and a compositely acting top plate; said top plate being secured to said horizontal trafiic-contacting surface and thusjslying on 'and covering such horizontal traffic-mofitactingsurface.

4. A flooring unit comprising the flooring plate set'forth in claim .1 and. comp'os'it'ely acting .fiooring beams; said flooring ibeams being :secured to said opposed longitudinal "margins of said "flooring plate, and extending substantially :at right angles to said trusses and being closely adjacent the ends of said-trusses. Y

'5. A flooring-unit as set forth in claim 4w-herein supporting beams are mounted below and 'secured to said flooring ibeams, said supporting beams extending at right angles to said flooring beams.

References Cited in the file :of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 1 Name Date 1,089,613 Wixom -Mar. 10, 1914 1,098,243 Freeny May 26., 19.44 1,953,657 Pierce v :Apr. 3, .1934 2,050,935 Dresser Aug-1.1., 1936 2,190,214 Nagin Feb. 13,1940 2,241,512 Greulich .May 1.3, 19.41 2,269,522 .Dreibuss .et a1. .J an. 13, 19.42 2,308,943 Tietig "Jan. 19,1943 

